Right In His Arms
by KeiMaxwell
Summary: Makoto finally has everything he needs.


Makoto stares at the white hospital floor. Doctors, nurses and visitors bustle about, but he barely notices. He vaguely remembers sitting in the very same hospital, maybe on this floor or even in the same hallway. But it had been so different back then. There might have been a bit of worry for his mother and his soon to be siblings, but mostly he had been excited, chatting quite loudly about what he wanted to do when he finally became a big brother. Haru had been sitting in the chair next to him, face stoic as ever. But that was okay.

Slowly raising his gaze from the floor to the left, he gave a small smile. Haru's face, although not the one of the child from back then, still carries the same expression. But Makoto knows this face so well, knows all the fine nuances to tell that Haru is worried, probably just as worried as Makoto is. With a sigh, he tenderly grabs one of Haru's hands, the skin cool and smooth. Haru looks at him, startled, but intertwines his fingers with Makoto without hesitation. The contact, however small, anchores them both, each gaining strength from the other, while they can do nothing but wait.

Finally, footsteps approach them in quick strides. When Makoto looks up, it is Rin who stands before them, his face tired, but with a small smile. Makoto can feel Haru mirror his relieved sigh.

"She's okay. They're both okay," Rin tells them and it's all they have waited for.

Makoto gets up and gives in to the urge to pull Rin into a hug. He feels Rin chuckling lowly and returning the embrace for a moment, before he pushes away. Haru has stepped up to them and is now putting his hand on Rin's shoulder, squeezing lightly. They don't need any words.

Rin leads them to the room Gou occupies and Makoto enters, both tentative and excited. Gou looks utterly exhausted, but her eyes shine with happiness as the young men approach the bed she lies in. She gently shifts the bundle in her arms, so that they can see the face of the newborn baby.

"Your daughter," she states and smiles wider when Makoto obviously has to hold back the tears brimming in his eyes. Next to him, Haru shows a rare smile.

Haru bends over the bed, intending to merely get a good look of the little girl, but Gou silently urges him to hold her. He blinks slowly, but scoops the baby up in his arms without a word. Makoto feels as if his ribcage can't hold his heart. The view of his beloved holding their child is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Makoto is so full of love, that a stray tear escapes. Hurriedly, he wipes it away and focusses on Gou instead. He sits on the edge of the bed and gently wraps his arms around her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," he whispers and the simple words mean so much more, they all know. He thanks her for being their friend. For doing her best to get them closer to Rin again. For supporting Makoto and Haru's relationship, even through all the hard times they have faced. For giving them the chance to have a child of their own, although her parents tried to talk her out of it.

Gou strokes Makoto's back and hums softly. "You'll be good to her." It's not advice, it's a fact that she is sure of in her very heart. She simply knows that the little girl will get all the love and care she needs from these two men. She wouldn't have offered to be their surrogate mother otherwise.

They part and Makoto turns to Haru and their baby, his little family. He feels a wide smile stretch his face, but he just can't help it. Next to them, Rin is fussing over Gou, but again, Makoto is too caught up in feelings to notice, though they are not the ones of anticipation that consumed him just moments before. Haru steps closer and it's only at the last moment that Makoto realizes he wants him to hold the little girl now. Makoto is shaking slightly as he takes the bundle, careful to not drop her or hold her too tightly. His posture is awkward, he's sure, but his rapid heartbeat slows down as the warm presence in his arms calms him. She is so tiny and barely moving, obviously tired. She seems to be so fragile and Makoto feels the need to protect her, and he probably will throughout her life. He feels Haru press to his side and carefully extracts one arm from the baby to wrap around him.

The sound of a shutter comes from somewhere. When they look up, Nagisa is standing in the door with a huge grin on his face and his mobile in hand.

"The first family photo is mine," he says cheerfully as ever, but he looks at them with sincere warmth. From behind him, Rei still scolds him in a hushed voice, obviously hesitant to interrupt the moment. He is pulled into the room by Nagisa's hand in his, though. Rin grumbles something about annoying brats, while Gou just giggles.

Makoto smile doesn't waver, it even widens, and still he feels tears threatening to flow again. In this moment, he feels like the happiest being on earth. Because he has everything he needs right here, right in his arms.

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Written to fill a prompt at the kink meme.

Thank you to Kazevita for beta reading!


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